Iran threatens to use 'oil weapon' in nuclear standoff

In a further sign of the new found confidence felt by the US's opponents in the Middle East, Iran has threatened to use oil as a weapon if the US, Britain and the UN decide to impose sanctions on the Iranians as a result of the US's claim that Iran is attempting to obtain a nuclear bomb.

Whilst insisting that Iran continues to behave legally within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Tehran have let it be known that:

"We do not want to use the oil weapon. It is them who would impose it upon us."

But Mr Larijani added that if the west did decide on sanctions, "we will react in a way that would be painful for them ... Do not force us to do something that will make people shiver in the cold."

Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter and is estimated to have the second largest oil and gas reserves.

At moments like this one really has to question what Bush is achieving by his petulant refusal to enter into any serious negotiations with Iran. I have always argued that the UN route will lead to a dead end as I do not believe that China and Russia will ultimately allow the UN to impose sanctions on the Iranians.

So what is Bush achieving by this grandstanding? Exactly what his grandstanding towards North Korea has produced. Bugger all of any use.

Nor is he even winning the moral argument.

Mohammad Saeidi, vice-president of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said yesterday that Iran needed to find alternative energy supplies because its fossil fuel resources would run out in 25-30 years' time. "In the 21st century, the only way for any country to provide electricity is nuclear power." This was the same conclusion that Britain, France, the US and many others had reached, he added.

It's hard to argue with the very same logic that Blair has employed to justify renewing Britain's nuclear facilities and it's dependence on nuclear energy.

As always though, the man who claimed to be a "uniter not a divider" chooses confrontation rather than negotiation.

Iranian officials said yesterday there would be a formal response to the west's nuclear offer on August 22, as previously announced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While Tehran was likely to reject demands that it suspend enrichment immediately, the officials said the government would offer to resume negotiations on all outstanding issues without preconditions.

Bush, of course, has famously called on Iran to suspend all Uranium enrichment before talks can begin, which sort of rules out any need for talks in the first place.

Why does he do this? It's the politics of the brain dead. Is there nobody - anywhere in the planet - who can pull this madman back from the brink?

It appears not.

One of the supposed positive side effects of his war in Iraq was supposed to be cheaper gas at the pumps. This, of course, turned out to be simply another lie. Now, his belligerence towards Iran threatens to push prices even further up the scale. Surely the average American will react, if only out of concern for their own financial situation? Or do they really make no connection between the price at the pumps and Bush's bizarre actions?

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Tags: Iran, UN, inpesctors, inspections, crisis, US, war, uranium, nuclear weapons,